System and method for using social networks to facilitate business processes

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides methods and systems for facilitating business processes in an enterprise application. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises obtaining information regarding one or more entities and analyzing the information regarding the one or more entities to determine one or more paths between the one or more entities and one or more members of an enterprise. Information regarding the one or more entities is distributed to the one or more members of the enterprise where one or more paths exist between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

Applicants hereby claim the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/592,294 entitled, “SALES FACILITATION SYSTEMSAND METHODS IN AN ENTERPRISE RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM,” filed Jul.28, 2004, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Applicants hereby further claim the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/592,295 entitled, “MARKETINGFACILITATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS IN AN ENTERPRISE RELATIONSHIPMANAGEMENT SYSTEM”, filed Jul. 28, 2004, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/132,159 entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENFORCING PRIVACY IN SOCIALNETWORKS,” filed May 17, 2005, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally provides methods and systems forfacilitating business processes, such as sales and sales related tasks,marketing and marketing related tasks, and hiring and hiring relatedtasks, in conjunction with enterprise software for the end goals ofincreased productivity, increased revenues, reduced cost of customeracquisition, increased response rates, decreased cost per hire, higherprofitability, etc. Particularly, the present invention provides methodsand systems that facilitate business processes by leveraging the socialnetworks and relationship capital of both an enterprise and members ofan enterprise, both alone and in combination with other enterprisesoftware applications.

An enterprise typically uses one or more Enterprise RelationshipManagement (“ERM”) software applications to allow employees to managepersonal and professional relationships and information. Messagingsoftware applications (“messaging”) typically provide comprehensiveautomation packages for contact management, note and informationsharing, calendaring, email, instant messaging, to-do lists, etc. Oneexample of a messaging application is Outlook sold by MICROSOFTCORPORATION®as part of its Office suite of applications. Othercommunications systems and software (“Communications”) found in theenterprise include instant messaging applications, as well as telephoneand Voice over IP (“VoIP”) applications.

In addition to ERM, Messaging and Communications applications,enterprises typically employ other software applications to managerelationships both inside and outside the enterprise. For example,Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) software helps a company manageexisting and developing customer relationships in an efficient andorganized manner, Sales Force Automation (“SFA”) software increases asales team's efficiency and effectiveness by automating, organizing andtracking the sales process, Partner Relationship Management (“PRM”)software facilitates and automates the sales processes acrossdistributors and external sales channels, and Employee RelationshipManagement (“eRM”) improves the management of internal employees. Otherapplications to assist the enterprise in organizing and managing theworkflow of different business processes and automating the presentationof information to users are well know to those of skill in the art.

For clarity, the above-described applications are collectively referredto herein as “enterprise applications.” Enterprise applications storeinformation that may be used to deduce the existence of a relationshipor the strength of a relationship. This information, and therelationships and relationship networks that this information describes,is generally referred to herein as “relationship capital”.

The relationships and relationship networks in enterprise software,however, can be difficult to access in an efficient manner. Theserelationships are often documented, but the relationship capital thatidentifies these relationships is often distributed across manydisparate enterprise applications, with data that is often redundant,outdated or incomplete. Furthermore, the relationships and relationshipcapital are often not weighted, fail to indicate the strength of a givenrelationship or piece of relationship capital and do not dynamicallyadjust weights in response to changing data and events. Some employees,such as sales persons and other executives may also be reluctant toshare relationship capital that they own, such as information regardingtheir personal relationships, with other employees or outside partieswithout retaining any control with regard to how these parties use therelationship capital. Finally, the relationship capital andrelationships identified thereby are rarely aggregated, analyzed, andintegrated into a relationship network that describes the full breadthof interconnections between individuals and enterprises.

These issues and concerns generally limit the amount of relationshipcapital that is made available and accessible through enterprisesoftware, which negatively impacts the efficiency and productivity of anorganization. Thus, business processes that the organization conductsusing enterprise software, such as selling, marketing, hiring, etc., canbe ineffective, uncoordinated or inefficient.

In order to overcome shortcomings and problems associated withenterprise software, embodiments of the present invention providessystems and methods for using Relationship Capital Management (“RCM”)software systems to facilitate and leverage business processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and systems for facilitatingbusiness processes using enterprise applications, such as RCM softwaresystems that may operate both alone and in conjunction with otherenterprise applications. In some embodiments, the invention providessystems and methods, such as computer applications or solutions, whichutilize or are built upon RCM software systems, as described in thepreviously incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/132,159entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENFORCING PRIVACY IN SOCIAL NETWORKS,”filed May 17, 2005. Specific details regarding RCM software systems maybe obtained by reference to such application, which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. It should be noted by those of skillin the art, however, that other RCM software systems may be used inconjunction with the present systems and methods.

According to one embodiment, the invention provides a method forfacilitating business processes in an enterprise application. The methodcomprises obtaining information regarding one or more entities,analyzing the information regarding the one or more entities todetermine one or more paths between the one or more entities and one ormore members of an enterprise and distributing the information regardingthe one or more entities to the one or more members of the enterprisewhere one or more paths exist between the one or more members of theenterprise and the one or more entities.

Members of the enterprise and entities are related according to one ormore social networks. These social networks may identify paths orrelationships between members and entities, as well as between members.According to one embodiment, a social, or relationship, network mayextend beyond the members of an enterprise to entities outside theenterprise, which is referred to as an extranet portion of the socialnetwork. It should be noted that distribution of information regardingthe one or more entities to the one or more members of the enterprisemay also include distribution to entities in an extranet portion of agiven social network.

A given entity may include an entity that is an individual or anorganization (e.g., corporation or other business organization).Obtaining information according to the present method may comprisesearching for information regarding one or more entities on the basis ofuser supplied criteria. Result sets that are generated in response to asearch for information regarding entities may be saved for futureviewing. Search results that the member saves may be shared among aplurality of members of the enterprise.

The method may further comprise presenting a visual representation ofthe one or more entities, which may be obtained in response to a search.According to one embodiment, the visual representation is based on theinformation regarding the one or more entities. Relationships betweenmembers of the enterprise and entities may be provided as part of thevisual representation, which is presented as paths between the membersand the entities. The visual representation may also comprise presentinga strength of the one or more paths between the one or more members ofthe enterprise and the one or more entities. Information regarding theone or more entities may be displayed in conjunction with an enterpriseapplication including, but not limited to, a CRM application, a SFAapplication, an HCM application, etc.

The entities may be prioritized, for example, subsequent to analysis ofthe information regarding the entities. Entities may be prioritizedaccording to the one or more paths between the one or more members ofthe enterprise and the one or more entities. Similarly, prioritizationmay comprise prioritizing according to a strength for the one or morepaths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one ormore entities. Information regarding the one or more entities may bedistributed to a given member of the enterprise where a path exists to agiven entity. Selecting a given one of the one or more members maycomprise selecting a given one of the one or more members of theenterprise with a strongest path to the given entity.

Another embodiment of the invention for facilitating business processesin an enterprise application comprises obtaining information regardingone or more entities, analyzing the information regarding the one ormore entities to determine one or more paths between the one or moreentities and one or more members of an enterprise, and prioritizing theinformation regarding the one or more entities according to a strengthof the paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and theone or more entities.

In some embodiments, the invention provides systems and methods, whichmay be provided in conjunction with enterprise applications, forfacilitating sales or sales-related tasks by utilizing the capability ofthe RCM software system to determine relationships and the strength ofindividual and corporate relationships. For example, prospecting, orsearching, for sales contacts can identify individual and corporatecontacts. This information may include information about, ranking of, ora depiction of the strength or nature of relationships between membersof a user's enterprise and individual or corporate contacts. Suchrelationships can be direct, if the user has a relationship with thecontact, indirect, if the user is connected to the contact through othercontacts, or various combinations of individual and corporaterelationships.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, systems andmethods are provided that allow business processes such as prospectingand recruiting to be performed to acquire sales leads or potentialcontacts based on parameters set by a user. Search results may includecontact information for such potential contacts, as well as informationregarding the strength or nature of the user's direct or indirectrelationship with contacts. In other embodiments, systems and methodsare provided that allow the user to analyze sales leads, accounts andopportunities by the strength or nature of the user's direct or indirectrelationship with the contact, company or account. Embodiments are alsoprovided that allow sales leads to be prioritized and, optionally,distributed to users. Distribution to users may be based on the strengthor nature of the user's direct or indirect relationship with the lead.In some cases, the lead may be presented to the relationship owner forapproval before being distributed. It is contemplated, and should beapparent to one of skill in the art, that the functionality of variousembodiments may be combined to facilitate a plurality of sales andsales-related tasks, marketing and marketing-related tasks, hiring andhiring related tasks, etc.

Embodiments also provide visualization tools that to assist the user inunderstanding or assessing relationships. Prospecting, search results,or the analysis of leads, accounts and opportunities may optionally beshared with other users, or may be shared in a limited fashion.Efficiency and effectiveness of tasks are increased as compared, forexample, to typical methods for obtaining and utilizing sales leads,prioritizing leads and accounts, as well as optimizing the distributionof leads.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawingswhich are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which likereferences are intended to refer to like or corresponding parts, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a functions executed by one ormore software modules for facilitating business processes using a socialnetwork according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a user interface illustrating access to software modules forfacilitating business processes according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a user interface illustrating access to software modules forfacilitating business processes according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a user interface illustrating access to search controls andsearch information according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a user interface illustrating search results according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a user interface illustrating controls for saving a searchaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a user interface illustrating saved searches according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a user interface illustrating saved search results accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a user interface illustrating a pop-up window for sharing asearch result set according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a user interface illustrating business process metricsaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a user interface illustrating a set of saved searches foranalysis with one or more social networks according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12 is a user interface illustrating a pop-up window for uploading aset of entities for analysis with one or more social networks accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a user interface illustrating prioritization of entitiesaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a user interface illustrating prioritization of entitiesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a user interface illustrating presentation of value metricsfor business processes according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 16 is a user interface illustrating inbound lead distributioninformation for a business process according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 17 is a user interface illustrating presentation of leaddistribution metrics for a business process according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a user interface illustrating access to software modules forfacilitating sales, marketing and human resources business processesaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a user interface illustrating access to software modules forfacilitating a sales business process according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 20 is a user interface illustrating access to search controls andsearch information according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a user interface illustrating access to a software module forselecting saved searches according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 22 is a user interface illustrating details of a saved searchaccording to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 23 is a user interface illustrating access to a software module forlead distribution information for a business process according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description of the various embodiments of theinvention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form apart hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specificembodiment in which the invention may be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram 100 illustrating a series of functionsaccording to one embodiment of the invention for using an enterpriseapplication, such as the RCM software system, for facilitating abusiness process. An exemplary business process according to the presentinvention is facilitating sales and sales-related tasks. The method 100depicted includes routines provided by three software modules: aprospecting module 104, a lead and account analysis module 106, and alead distribution module 108. Each of the software modules 104, 106, 108comprises program code for executing a number of functions 110, 1112,114, which each include one or more steps and may include multipleoptions or parameters for customization of the functions 110, 112, 114.Each function 110, 112, 114 also includes routines 120, 126, 130 forcalculating and viewing metrics regarding a given business process, aswell as detailed information associated with a given metric.

As FIG. 1 illustrates, the prospecting module 104 may include utilizing,at least in part, capabilities of the RCM software system to obtain ormine information regarding one or more social networks for informationregarding entities contained within the social networks. For example,this may include obtaining or searching for potential corporate, otherbusiness or individual sales or sales-related contacts, such aspotential customers or clients. The information provided to the RCMsoftware system may come, at least in part, from enterprise softwareapplications including, but not limited to, CRM, SFA, HRM, etc, as wellas one or more third party data sources. The prospecting module 104includes a run new search function 116, which may include one or moresteps for setting search parameters and may be used to search forentities. The run new search function 116 includes a view search resultsfunction 132, which allows a user to view the result set of a search.

After searching for or otherwise obtaining a result set comprisinginformation regarding one or more entities, a user may export theresults 134 to an external application, perform a new search 136, save asearch or results of a search, or both 138. Exemplary informationregarding entities that the prospecting module 104 obtains may includecontacts or potential contacts for sales, sales messaging, orsales-related messaging, including advertising messaging and other formsof sales-related communications. In some embodiments, contact andrelationship information from enterprise software applications is minedby the RCM software system to obtain information regarding one or moreentities to which one or more members of an enterprise maintains a path,which may be a direct relationship between a given entity and a givenmember, or may comprise a number of intermediate members between thetwo. The method 100 may also use information calculated by the RCMsoftware system regarding the one or more entities, such as relationshipstrength information. Exporting results 134 may include, for example,saving the results, or information regarding the entities, in a systemor location external to the RCM software system, such as saving data toa file or data store to later be uploaded into a spreadsheet or otheranalysis application.

Searches and search results may be saved 118, internal or external tothe RCM software system, for later use or revision. A function isprovided for retrieving result sets 150 from saved searches, e.g.,information regarding entities that fall within the scope of a query oruploaded from an external data source, such as a third party datasource. Routines are also provided to prepare the result set for sharingamong a plurality of members of an enterprise 152, export the result setto a an external file or data store 154, which may be loaded into anenterprise application for analysis, as well as rerun the saved search156 to determine if additional entities fall within the scope of thesearch or, similarly, whether entities previously within the result setno longer fall within the scope of the query.

The lead and account analysis module 106 may include utilizing, at leastin part, capabilities of the RCM software system to utilize path andpath strength information, which may include information regardingrelationships between entities and members of an enterprise, as well asrelationships between members of the enterprise, as contained in one ormore social networks. The lead and account analysis module 106 may alsoutilize other parameters set by the other routines of the method 100, aswell as a user, to rank, prioritize, or otherwise determine or estimatethe relative value or strength (e.g., weight) of the relationshipsbetween an enterprise (or members thereof) and a given set of one ormore entities. Information regarding entities may be provided to the RCMsoftware system by one or more enterprise software applications and maybe retrieved from one or more third party data sources.

As FIG. 1 further illustrates, the run lead and account analysis module106 may provide functions that include, but are not limited to, run listanalysis 122, which may include presentation of results prioritized bycompany 124 or contact 125, sharing of results with other members of theenterprise or third parties 140, running a new analysis 142, andexporting the results prioritized 144 by the module 122. Sharing ofresults 140 may include a user opting to share results, such as aprioritized list of entities, with other users, or selected orauthorized users. Sharing may be limited generally, or limited withregard to certain members of the enterprise, such as by limitinginformation or details regarding a given entity or list of entities tousers with sufficient relationship strength with regard to the givenentity or entities. The run lead and account analysis module 106 mayalso include a lead and account analysis value metrics function 126,which provides interfaces and routines for the calculation and displayof metrics regarding a list of prioritized entities. Furthermore, a usermay upload lists of leads from external applications or files 127.

The lead distribution module 108 may include lead distribution 151, aninbound lead report function 128 and a lead distribution value metricsfunction 130. An inbound lead includes any information regarding anentity that may be useful in facilitating a business process, e.g., asales lead may comprise information regarding an entity that the entityprovides through a sales questionnaire at an enterprise. Inbound leadinformation may also include information obtained from third party datasources, the RCM software system or other enterprise applications. Theinbound lead report function 128 may include an export function 146 andadministration functionality 148.

A lead distribution function 151 processes inbound lead information,which includes information regarding one or more entities, to determinea given member of the enterprise to receive the information regardingthe one or more entities. According to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the given member of the enterprise who has the strongestrelationship with the entity receives the information regarding theentity for use in facilitating a business process, e.g., following up ona sales lead. The determination may be made on the basis of pathinformation between the entity and one or more member of an enterprisethat the RCM software system maintains, which may be based in whole orin part on information contained in enterprise software applications orprovided from third-party data sources. Alternatively, priorityinformation may be provided to one or more third parties fordistribution.

FIG. 2 is a user interface 200 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention that provides access software modules for facilitatingbusiness processes. According to the present embodiment, the interfaceprovides access to routines for facilitating sales 204, marketing 206and human resources 208. The interface 200 may be a web page that a webbrowser renders. The web page, for example, may be a web page presentedby an RCM software system. As depicted, a value metrics display 202 isprovided, which may show, for example, metrics regarding businessprocesses. Controls 210, 212 and 214, respectively, are provided tolaunch sales 204, marketing 206 and HR 208 routines.

FIG. 3 is a user interface 300 according to one embodiment of theinvention that provides an interface to top-level functions of the salesfacilitation routine. Such a user interface may be a web page retrievedfrom a server, e.g., from the RCM software system, in response to theselection of a sales icon from the user interface illustrated at FIG. 2.Options and links are provided to allow access to functions such asprospecting 302, lead and account analysis 304 and lead distribution306, as discussed with regard to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a user interface 400 according to one embodiment of thepresent invention that provides controls that allow for the constructionof a query. Execution of the query invokes a search for one or moreentities that fall within the scope of the query. The new searchfunction may be made available through the prospecting moduleillustrated at FIG. 1. Displays or interfaces are provided forinformation describing the search 402 and search visualization 404.Search visualization is calculated on the bases of one or more searchsettings 406. For example, as depicted, a Venn diagram 410 is utilized.Circles comprising the Venn diagram represent groups of entities thatsatisfy one or more filters specified by the search settings 406. Thesizes of circles 410 may vary, for example, with the size of the groupof entities falling within the scope of a given search criteria. Overlapbetween circles represents potential entities that satisfy more than oneof the different search criteria. An exterior circle may represent anentire relationship network. Other embodiments and manners ofdepictions, filtering, presentation, etc., such as bar diagrams, areknown to those skilled in the art and may also be used.

A user may enter search criteria in the search settings interface 406whereby a user defines criteria/value pairs for searching through one ormore relationship networks that the RCM software system provides tolocate information regarding entities that are responsive to the search.The search may further utilize information from other enterpriseapplications, as well as third-party data sources. Where the userrequires controls to provide additional criteria/value pairs for asearch, the interface provides a control 408 for the display ofadditional criteria/value controls. According to one embodiment, a givennumber of instances of the control are presented by the interface inresponse to selection of the control 408. Alternatively, a singleinstance of the control is presented in the interface each time the userselects the control 408.

When the user executes a new search the user interface illustrated atFIG. 5 is presented according to one embodiment of the invention. Theinterface of FIG. 5 presents information regarding entities that fallwithin the scope of the search provided by the interface of FIG. 4. Thesearch results may include a list of information regarding individual orcorporate entities 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, e.g., contactinformation responsive to a given search. In some embodiments, links maybe provided to obtain additional information regarding a given entity,or may only be provided to the extent a user is allowed access to suchinformation. A best path column 504 provides a graphical display, suchas a bar diagram, representing the strongest path between a given entityand a member of the enterprise. Similarly, a company connection column506 informs the member of the number of connections between the memberand a given entity. Path information for a given entity may becalculated by or in conjunction with the RCM software system andinformation regarding the entities may be obtained from the RCM softwaresystem, other enterprise applications and third-party data sources.

FIG. 6 is a user interface 600 according to one embodiment of theinvention for saving and sharing searches. The display format 600includes an interface 602 for sharing searches among a plurality ofmembers of an enterprise. Using this interface 602, a user may set aparameter to share the results of a search 604. Alternatively, the usermay elect to set a parameter to not share 606 the results of a search,causing the results to remain private and only be available to themember saving the search. When a member saves a search, a text field 614allows the user to associate a name with the saved search. Selecting asave control 610 causes the information regarding the one or moreentities in the result set, along with a name for the result set, to bewritten to a persistent storage device. The interface 600 also providescontrols to execute a new search 608 according to the interface of FIG.4, as well as cancel the save process 612 and return to the searchresult display of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a user interface 700 according to one embodiment of theinvention that presents one or more saved searches. A user may select asaved search 716 from a list of saved searches 718 and view the resultsof the individual search, which may include links to additionalinformation regarding the entities falling within the scope of thesearch. Users may also modify search results, such as by deletingentries 720, or may modify a search 712 and run the modified search toobtain new results. The exemplary list of save searches 718 presentsinformation regarding the searches including, but not limited to, themember of the enterprise that owns a search 702, the name of a search704, the date a saved search was created 706, the date a search was lastviewed 708, the number of entities falling within the scope of a savedsearch 710 and whether a search is shared among a plurality of membersof an enterprise 712.

FIG. 8 is a user interface 800 according to one embodiment of theinvention for viewing saved results of a given search, which providesthe information regarding entities that are part of a saved search auser selects using the interface provided by FIG. 7. The interfaceprovides share 802, export 804 and new search 806 controls that allow amember of an enterprise to share the saved search results with othermembers of the enterprise, export the results to an external applicationor file, or run a new search, respectively. According to the presentembodiment, the interface for viewing saved searches presentsinformation regarding entities presented part as a returned searchresult set illustrated at FIG. 5.

When a member of the enterprise decides to share a search, the member ispresented with the user interface of FIG. 9. According to the embodimentof the invention illustrated at FIG. 9, the controls for sharing asearch are presented in a pop-up window. When a user opts to share thesearch results, share this search interface 902 is provided as isdiscussed with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a user interface 1000 according to one embodiment of theinvention for accessing prospecting value metrics. Prospecting valuemetrics 1002 are provided through the interface 1000. Prospecting mayinclude or refer to utilizing methods or systems according to thepresent invention, which may operate in conjunction with the RCMsoftware system, to search for or mine information regarding one or moreentities available to the RCM software system, other enterpriseapplications or third party data sources. The searched, mined orotherwise obtained data includes information regarding one or moreentities e.g., potential sales contact information, which may alsoinclude relationship and relationship strength information.

As is illustrated in FIG. 10, the prospecting value metrics display 1002includes bar graphs representing total prospects against strongestconnections 1004, total prospects against last seen 1006, and totalprospects against number of company connections 1008, as calculated bythe RCM software system. Although the illustration of FIG. 10 utilizesbar graphs, those of skill in the art should readily appreciate theability to use other graphing techniques, e.g., pie charts, etc.Furthermore, other metrics regarding entities are contemplated asfalling within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a user interface 1100 according to one embodiment of theinvention that provides controls for use in lead prioritization.Prospects, leads, account lists, etc., all of which comprise informationregarding entities, may be analyzed to obtain or determine additionalinformation or formulate graphical or other displays relating to suchinformation regarding the entities. Analysis may include comparing andanalyzing entities and information regarding entities against one ormore relationship networks, optionally using filter criteria, toprioritize the information regarding the one or more entities.

As is discussed above, information regarding one or more entities may beobtained from third-party data sources. FIG. 12 is a user interface1200, according to one embodiment of the invention that allows forinformation regarding one or more entities to be uploaded for analysis.The pop-up window 1202 allows a member of an enterprise to uploadinformation regarding one or more entities for prioritization based onrelationship information maintained by the RCM software system. Lists ofinformation regarding entities may be uploaded using an upload listinterface 1202, which allows the user to provide a name 1206 andlocation 1208 for a data file that is to be uploaded. The interface 1202also provides sharing options 1204 that may be set at the time themember uploads the list. A member uploads a list of informationregarding one or more entities and the system cross-indexes the listagainst one or more relationship networks, e.g., an enterpriserelationship network or the member's relationship network.

FIG. 13 is a user interface 1300 according to one embodiment of theinvention for viewing prioritized lists of information regardingcorporate or business entities. Lists of information regarding the oneor more entities may be prioritized by various criteria and presentedaccordingly, such as by number of contacts for a given entity has withmembers of an enterprise or an enterprise itself. The exemplary Venndiagram display 1302 provides analysis visualization after filtering aset of information regarding one or more entities using an employeecontacts filter (“Aberdeen leads”) and a corporate filter (“Visible PathRelationship Network”). The darkened portion 1304 represents theintersection of the two criteria, e.g., entities that satisfy bothfilter conditions. According to the illustration of FIG. 13, corporateentities are prioritized by the interface. Similarly, FIG. 14 is a userinterface 1400 according to one embodiment of the invention for viewingprioritized lists of entities that are individuals. This information issimilar to that provided by the user interface illustrated in FIG. 13,except information is prioritized by individual 1402, as opposed to bycompany.

FIG. 15 is a user interface 1500 according to one embodiment of theinvention for presentation of lead and account analysis value metrics. Adisplay 1502 according to the present embodiment includes bar graphs todepict total leads against strongest connections 1504, total leadsagainst last seen 1506, total accounts against number of companyconnections 1508, and total accounts against last seen 1510, ascalculated by the RCM software system. As was explained with regard toFIG. 10, although the illustration of FIG. 15 utilizes bar graphs, thoseof skill in the art should readily appreciate the ability to use othergraphing techniques, e.g., pie charts, etc., as well as the calculationand inclusion of additional value metrics.

FIG. 16 is a user interface 1600 according to one embodiment of theinvention for viewing inbound lead distribution. Inbound leads mayinclude, for example, entities who enter contact information from a Website of the member's enterprise, or who otherwise provide information torequest additional information regarding a given business process, e.g.,sales information. The inbound lead information is cross-referencedagainst the relationship network information that the RCM softwaresystem maintains to determine relationship information (direct andindirect paths between members and entities) and information regardingthe strength (e.g., weight) of those relationships, provided that theyexist. This information may be used to route an inbound lead to anappropriate contact within the enterprise, e.g., the member of theenterprise with the strongest relationship with the inbound lead.Displayed distribution information 1602 may include best pathinformation 1604, number of connections of the entity maintains withmembers of the enterprise 1606, and other information regarding a givenentity or entities.

FIG. 17 is a user interface 1700 according to one embodiment of theinvention for presenting lead distribution value metrics. A leaddistribution value metrics display 1702 provides a bar graph display torepresent incoming leads against strongest relationship connections1704, which may be calculated by the RCM software system. Although theillustration of FIG. 17 utilizes bar graphs, those of skill in the artshould readily appreciate the ability to use other graphing techniques,e.g., pie charts, etc.

FIG. 18 is a user interface 1800 according to one embodiment of theinvention with a sales tab selected. Display 1802 presents relationshipinformation; which may be obtained from or displayed by the RCM softwaresystem. As depicted, the display format is a web page, such as sales webpage accessible via a home page provided by an enterprise applicationsuch as the RCM software system.

A number of functions are available within the sales module. FIG. 19 isa user interface format 1900 according to one embodiment of theinvention with a prospecting heading selected, which is a searchfunction. As depicted, the display format is a web page, such as aprospecting web page accessible via a home page provided by anenterprise application such as the RCM software system. This interfacedisplay contains saved search information similar to that described withregard to FIG. 7.

FIG. 20 is a user interface 2000 according to one embodiment of theinvention illustrating an interface for defining criteria for a search.A Venn diagram display 2002 may be used to depict information in amanner similar to that described with reference to FIG. 4. As depicted,filters include industry, geography, and path strength filterparameters. This interface display contains controls for supplyingsearch criteria for conducting searches similar to that described withregard to FIG. 4. FIG. 21 is a user interface 2100 according to oneembodiment of the invention illustrating the information regarding oneor more entities returned as the result of a search. Leads and accountscan be cross-referenced against a user's extended relationship network,which can include highlighting or prioritizing leads that a user canreach through a network of relationships.

FIG. 22 is a user interface format 2200 according to one embodiment ofthe invention illustrating search results displayed in conjunction withsearch criteria. An information display 2202 presents informationdescribing the search and a Venn diagram display 2204 presents agraphical representation of filtered information regarding one or moreentities.

FIG. 23 is a user interface format 2300 according to one embodiment ofthe invention illustrating the display of lead distribution analysis.Inbound leads may be automatically or partially automatically analyzedand distributed to members of an enterprise, for example, according to agiven member with whom the strongest relationship to an entity isdetermined to exist.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in connectionwith preferred embodiments, many variations and modifications as will beevident to those skilled in this art may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, and the invention is thus not tobe limited to the precise details of methodology or construction setforth above as such variations and modification are intended to beincluded within the scope of the invention.

1. A method for facilitating business processes in an enterpriseapplication, the method comprising: prospecting for a business lead,wherein said prospecting includes: (a) receiving a search criterionselected from the group consisting of a geographic region, an industry,a size of a business, and a combination thereof; and (b) searching databased on said search criterion, wherein said searching returnsinformation about a prospective business contact; analyzing saidinformation and data regarding a social network to determine a member ofan enterprise in a path to said prospective business contact; anddistributing to said member, said information and a representation ofsaid path.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said representation of saidpath comprises a graphic representation of said path.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein said method further comprises determining a strengthfor said path, and wherein said graphic representation indicates saidstrength.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said searching discovers aplurality of prospective business contacts, and wherein said methodfurther comprises prioritizing said plurality of business contacts. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein said distributing comprises displayingsaid information in conjunction with an application selected from thegroup consisting of a CRM application, a SFA application, an HCMapplication and a messaging application.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein said member is a first member of said enterprise, and said pathis a first path, wherein said analyzing determines a second path betweensaid prospective business contact and a second member of saidenterprise, and wherein said method further comprises distributing, tosaid second member, said information and a representation of said secondpath.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said member is a first member ofsaid enterprise, and said path is a first path, wherein said analyzingdetermines a second path between said prospective business contact and asecond member of said enterprise, and wherein said method furthercomprises: determining a first strength for said first path and a secondstrength for said second path; and prioritizing said first and secondpaths based on said first and second strengths.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein said path is through an intermediate member of said socialnetwork.
 9. A method for facilitating business processes in anenterprise application, the method comprising: prospecting for abusiness lead, wherein said prospecting includes: (a) receiving a searchcriterion selected from the group consisting of a geographic region, anindustry, a size of a business, and a combination thereof; (b) searchingdata based on said search criterion, wherein said searching returnsinformation about a prospective business contact; analyzing saidinformation and data regarding a social network to determine (a) a firstmember of an enterprise in a first path to said prospective businesscontact, and (b) a second member of said enterprise in a second path tosaid prospective business contact; determining a first strength for saidfirst path and a second strength for said second path; prioritizing saidfirst and second members based on said first strength and said secondstrength, thus yielding a highest ranked member and a highest rankedpath; and distributing to said highest ranked member, said informationand a representation of said highest ranked path.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein said representation of said highest ranked pathcomprises a graphic representation of said highest ranked path.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein said graphic representation indicates astrength of said highest ranked path.
 12. The method of claim 9, whereinsaid distributing comprises displaying said information in conjunctionwith an application selected from the group comprising a CRMapplication, a SFA application and an HRM application.
 13. The method ofclaim 9, wherein said first path is through an intermediate member. 14.A system for facilitating business processes in an enterpriseapplication comprising: a prospecting module that prospects for abusiness lead, wherein said prospecting module: (a) receives a searchcriterion selected from the group consisting of a geographic region, anindustry, a size of a business, and a combination thereof; and (b)searches data based on said search criterion, and yields a prospectivebusiness contact; a lead and account analysis module that analyzes saidinformation and data regarding a social network to determine a member ofan enterprise in a path to said prospective business contact; and a leaddistribution module that distributes to said member, said informationand a representation of said path.
 15. The system of claim 14, whereinsaid member is a first member of said enterprise, and said path is afirst path, wherein said lead and account analysis module alsodetermines a second path between said prospective business contact and asecond member of said enterprise, and wherein said lead distributionmodule distributes, to said second member, said information and arepresentation of said second path.
 16. The system of claim 14, whereinsaid member is a first member of said enterprise, and said path is afirst path, wherein said lead and account analysis module alsodetermines a second path between said prospective business contact and asecond member of said enterprise, and wherein said lead distributionmodule: determines a first strength for said first path and a secondstrength for said second path; and prioritizes said first and secondpaths based on said first and second strengths.
 17. The system of claim14, wherein said path is through an intermediate member of said socialnetwork.
 18. A system for facilitating business processes in anenterprise application, comprising: a prospecting module that prospectsfor a business lead, wherein said prospecting module: (a) receives asearch criterion selected from the group consisting of a geographicregion, an industry, a size of a business, and a combination thereof;and (b) searches data based on said search criterion, and yields aprospective business contact; a lead and account analysis module thatanalyzes said information and data regarding a social network todetermine (a) a first member of an enterprise in a first path to saidprospective business contact, and (b) a second member of said enterprisein a second path to said prospective business contact; and a leaddistribution module that: determines a first strength for said firstpath and a second strength for said second path; prioritizes said firstand second members based on said first strength and said secondstrength, thus yielding a highest ranked member and a highest rankedpath; and distributes to said highest ranked member, said informationand a representation of said highest ranked path.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein said first path is through an intermediate member.